Once again, long time, no update. I know, I know. I am made of fail.

But I have good news! I finished the first draft of my third book, tentatively titled Beautiful Garbage. It still needs a lot of work; I'm going through to clean it up so I can shoot it off to my betas by sometime next week. Here's a short excerpt from the beginning (subject to change, obviously):

“Bitch.”

It’s not the first time I’ve been called that; it likely won’t be the last.

To be fair, I probably deserve it this time, at least a little. I’m not good at letting them down easy.

“It was one kiss, Craig,” I remind him, scanning the crowded hallway for Harper. Where is she? I look back at his scowling face and shrug. “Don’t take it personally. I’m just not interested in having a boyfriend right now. I’m sorry if you thought it meant something.”

“Yeah, and I’m sorry you’re such a bitch,” Craig shoots back, predictably. Normally I’d feel a little bad since he sounds genuinely hurt, and his face and neck are all red like he’s either really angry or really trying not to get upset, but at this point it’s a struggle not to roll my eyes.

Really, this is ridiculous. One stupid party, one stupid kiss I barely even remember, and Craig thinks that makes me his girlfriend? It’s not worth it to try and reason with him. I knew it from the moment I checked my phone the morning after the party and found he’d texted me fourteen times. You think he’d get the hint when I ignored him all weekend, but then today he walked up to me and tried to hold my freaking hand. Like, has he even met me?

Hmmm. I feel a little awkwardly self-conscious sharing the opening, like there's a voice in my head yelling, "no, really, it gets better! I promise!" But anyway, there it is.

My schedule for right now: Wait to see what more edits need to be done on Saving June, whip Beautiful Garbage into shape and revise and revise and revise so it is ready to be submitted to my editor in February (unless it's decided to fall back on the second book, in which case I'll be revising that), and then turn around and dive into the next book, which I'd like to have ready by May. Which means I'll have to start hammering out an outline of some sorts. There's going to be a lot of overlap in the next few months.

On another note, I also received my advance check. Crazy, right? I may or may not have done a victory dance all around my apartment.

My official web site is now up and running:

hannah-harrington.com

I'm planning on tinkering with it some more, but the basic content is there! Between this and the fact that my book contracts are in the mail on their way to me right now, I'm starting to feel pretty official.

Also, I'm going to be in Boston from the 19th until the 22nd, visiting my best friend, who I haven't seen since last October. I'm pretty excited to hang out with her and obsessively play Beatles Rock Band. It should be fun times!

Last night I had a dream about my book cover. I didn't remember it until this evening when I opened the refrigerator to pull out a block of cheese to nibble on (sometimes I have random cravings). I don't know why that made me remember, but it did.

Anyway, in my dream the book in my hands was a really battered paperback, kind of like my mom's old Stephen King novels, and black, except on the front was a dark picture of a sunset over water and SAVING JUNE written in curly font across the top.

Now I have no idea how my actual book cover will turn out, and I don't really care. I mean, I care, obviously, but I realize that I have next to no control over that aspect, since that's what marketing departments are for. But it did make me think about how much I will freak out when I see the artwork. I think maybe that's when it'll all really hit me and feel real. Or maybe not. Maybe it won't until I have a galley copy in my hands.

Not an exciting update, sorry, but I figured I should say something and that was all that came to mind. I'm still writing right now and also working on getting my web site set up. Once that happens, I'll definitely let you all know.

So, I've never been someone to rely on outlines. A few years ago I remember reading a blog post from Meg Cabot, where she discussed why she doesn't outline, and a lot of it rang true for me-- basically, if she outlines a novel, she feels like she's already told the story and loses the desire to write it out.

SAVING JUNE was the first novel I wrote, and the closest thing I had to an outline was a scrap of paper with each state they passed through (since it is a road trip story) and a little note under each state name for a plot point that would happen there. I didn't rely on it, though, because by the time I actually sat down and wrote the story, I'd been thinking about it for years. Most of it was already shaped in my head by then.

For the second book I wrote earlier this year, I used nothing. All I had was a premise-- teenage girl voluntarily takes vow of silence-- and a character name (Chelsea Knot-- I don't know why, but that name had been stuck in my head for ages). I started with the idea and just built the story around it, not entirely sure of where it was going, or who the characters would be. It was fun, actually, to sort of figure it out as I went along, try and tie threads together and make it seem like it was totally intentional from the start (I mean, wait, what, obviously it was all part of my genius foreshadowing plan... really).

However, there are a lot of people who love outlining, who say how great outlining works for them, and so I decided to give it a shot. Now, I'm never going to be the type of writer who outlines in a very structured way, breaking down chapter by chapter-- and I think I can get away with that to a degree because I write realistic contemporary. I don't need the level of detail and world-building that fantasy writers must have beforehand, because I'm not creating a new world or species or language or anything, just working within the real one.

So I wrote an outline in a very stream-of-consciousness way. It's 10,000 words of "this happens and then this happens and then this happens," with little notes here and there, sometimes going into more detail when an image of a scene pops into my head, and other times just skimming. And you know what? It actually has really, really helped. I'm spending a lot less time trying to figure out what the hell should happen next. If I'm stuck on a scene, I just glance at the outline and remember where everything is supposed to go. And the outline isn't so detailed that I feel like I've already told the story and writing it again is a redundant exercise.

What about you? Do you outline? If you do, do you go heavy into detail, or is it just a broad idea of the story's plot?

Once again, I epically fail at posting on this blog on a regular basis. However, I did want to share my photos from California taken during my trip last month. It was a whirlwind vacation, but a very fun one. Side note: We drove up the coast on Highway 1, the same as my characters in SAVING JUNE do, which was awesome. Well, awesome for me. It's even more gorgeous than I'd imagined.

Also, I just googled myself, which I haven't done in ages. I'm the third link down, beat out by Hannah Harrington Clark (apparently "one of the great women of the American Revolution" who was a "large muscular woman whose every movement showed efficiency") and a Hannah Harrington from Australia on Facebook. The last time I checked I didn't show up until near the bottom of the first page, so clearly I am moving up in the world.

I'm also briefly mentioned in an interview with my editor, Natashya Wilson. She talks more in detail about Harlequin's new YA imprint and what kind of stories she's looking for, so you should check it out!

Anyway, I hope you're all having a good summer! I'm going to try and update more often. And I mean it this time. Really.

It has been forever and a day since I last posted. Oops.

What's going on with me? Well, tomorrow I leave for California. My itinerary is pretty packed-- I'm not expecting to get much sleep over the next week, especially since I'll likely be pulling an all-nighter tonight due to my insomniac sleeping schedule.

I'm also dragging along my laptop so I can get some more writing done, since I will be having plenty of downtime in airports and hotel rooms. It will also give me an excuse to not go out if I'm feeling anti-social. I can just tell everyone I need to get work done. Win-win, if you ask me.

Oh, and I'm bringing THE FOREST OF HANDS AND TEETH by Carrie Ryan, the literary YA zombie novel I've heard so much about and am a few chapters into, along with a book of memoirs from a Ugandan child soldier. Not exactly your typical light beach reading, but I'm still looking forward to them both.

Anyway, I will be back in Michigan on the 8th. I'll try and update with my exciting vacation adventures, should I have any!

So I finished my first round of edits on Saving June and shipped them off to my agent for review. It's a relief to have them done, though I know there will probably be many, many more edits to come. Still, I added almost 13,000 words to my word count, and that's not including the fact that I did some cutting, too (I didn't keep track of how much I cut). It was a lot of work, but I'm actually proud in how it's shaping up-- I think the changes have made the story A LOT stronger.

I also decided it's time to organize my writing stuff. I say "stuff" because really, I have never used an official outline, or written a synopsis, but I do make notes. I have a tendency to scribble down thoughts-- whether it be names, plot ideas, lines that pop into my head-- and then stick them in my purse, which I do not clean out, like, ever. Finally I dumped it out on the floor, pulled out a binder, and taped my collection of notes into the pages. When inspiration strikes and I'm not in front of my computer, I write notes on whatever is handy: the back of grocery receipts, a lot of post-it notes, random scraps of paper. Now they are all sorted into a binder (as well as I can sort my disorganized thought process, anyway).

Now I'm gearing up to start my next book, which I am actually really excited about. But my brain has demanded some shut-off decompression time, so mostly I've been lazying about, listening to music, reading books, and obsessing over American Idol.



I love Kris Allen to an embarrassing degree, you guys; he is pocket-sized and adorable and UGH HIS VOOOOICE!! I feel like I'm twelve-years-old in my fangirling, but I can't help it.

Yesterday I ordered my copy of Anna Katherine's Salt and Silver. I cannot wait to read it, since Anna is an amazing writer. New York! Diners! Hell dimensions! Sexy demon hunters! What is not to love?

I also booked my hotel for Monterey Bay-- from July 2nd through the 7th, I'll be in California. We're going from L.A. to Santa Barbara to Monterey. I've only been to California once before, a few years ago, and had an amazing time then, so I'm really excited to go again. My itinerary is pretty packed-- doing a bit of touristy stuff around L.A., whale watching, hitting the beach, driving to Monterey for the aquarium and the otters. A lot of travel involved, but I'm definitely looking forward to it!

Revisions are trucking along. For a little while I felt stuck in a vortex that would not allow me to escape page 180, but I've finally clawed my way out of that. I also received my first official information from my publisher regarding promotion-- just general guidelines for my author photo/biography. I haven't decided if I want to get professional head shots taken or not-- the conundrum being that I pretty much loathe having my picture taken. But getting the information was exciting; it makes it feel more real, like, hey, this is actually happening! Awesome!

Yesterday, I accompanied my mother to Grand Rapids, which is about an hour away from where I live now. She had an appointment in town, so I took the day off from work, and we decided to make a day of it. I actually grew up in Grand Rapids-- well, East Grand Rapids, to be exact-- but I moved when I was fourteen, and it's been years since I spent any time there.

( What I did there. Pictures included, and way too much commentary. )

It was nice to spend some time in EGR; it made me a little nostalgic. EGR is actually the basis of the fictional hometown of my characters in Saving June, so it was interesting to see how my memory lived up to the reality of the place.

I finally got my editorial letter! For those who may not be in the know, an editorial letter comes from your editor (duh) and outlines specific (and general) revisions your editor wants for your novel. Mine is five pages long, which I don't think is too rough... though of course I don't really have anything to compare it to. Summoning the courage to open the letter was much more painful than, you know, actually reading it.

The good news is that a lot of the revisions detailed in the letter are ones I'd discussed with my editor over the phone, and I've been working on them already, so I've got somewhat of a head start. And most of the new revisions are ones I agree with-- whether it be more general revisions, like adding back story, strengthening characterizations, and clarifying plot points, or small continuity errors I'd missed that'll be easy to fix.

My agent called the same night I received the letter to share her thoughts on the revisions, and she offered suggestions on how to handle some of them. I really can't stress enough how important/invaluable it is to have an agent; not just for the business side (though that is more than enough reason to seek one), but also for the creative aspect. I do of course have betas (who are also priceless), but in my quote-enquote "real life," I tend to be a private person, and I'm pretty self-conscious about discussing my writing. Even now that I'm being published, to have someone to talk to about my writing and bounce ideas off of, someone who is invested in the story and characters I've created, is still a little surreal. But also exciting.

We also discussed for a bit her thoughts on my second book I finished about two months ago. That's going to need revisions, too, at some point, though for now I'm thinking it'll be on the back burner until edits on the first are done. On top of that, I really want to get started on my next, which will essentially be a sequel to SAVING JUNE, but from a different character's perspective. I have an idea of the plot, and some notes and scenes written down, but I'm thinking I'll need to sit down and hammer out some kind of an outline. I've never really used or written an outline before, so we'll see how that goes!

Oh, and if anyone is curious, here's a rough timeline for SAVING JUNE, from the first draft to publication:

April 2008: Looking through my saved emails, it looks like this was the month I really started on the story. I'd had the idea for it years before and scribbled some random scenes/notes in one of my old spiral notebooks from high school, and this was when I found the notebook (by accident, actually). I transcribed the handwritten scenes and decided to start from the beginning. Originally I'd written them in third person past tense; that was changed to first person past. Actually, those scenes are still in the final version (and one in particular is possibly my favorite of the whole novel).

June 2008: It took me three months to the day to finish a first draft. (My second book took me two months, but it was also shorter in length.) The first version was 64k words long; as it stands, it's at 80k (though there could definitely be more cutting). So obviously much was added and beefed up from the first to what will be my final polished draft. I also realized that I loved first person, but went back and changed the whole thing from past to present tense, a change I think improved the story immensely.

August 2008: This was when I first started querying agents. I probably jumped in the fray a little soon, but I was impatient. Also, let's not discuss my (in)ability to write a decent query letter.

October 2008: I signed with Diana Fox, my agent! Much rejoicing ensued.

November 2008: SAVING JUNE was sent out to editors.

November 2008 through February 2008: Basically one long, giant panic attack. I obsessively refreshed my email so much it's a wonder my fingers didn't fall off. It was a constant cycle going from optimism to total despair to quiet hopefulness. I wrote my second book in somewhat of a stress-induced frenzy, if only to take my mind off of the process and feel productive.

February 2008: I'd just gotten out of work and was standing outside at the bus stop, listening to Ted Leo's song "Colleen" on my iPod, when I noticed my cell phone buzzing in my pocket. My agent was calling to tell me Harlequin Teen made an offer! Nine days after I turned 22, I found out I'd be published. Best. Birthday. Present. Ever.

That glowy feeling still hasn't faded, to be honest. Though I will say that having an agent and selling my book has made me treat writing differently. Because now it really and truly is a second job. Thankfully as second jobs go, it's pretty damn awesome.

( Yesterday, I got a tattoo! )

On an unrelated note, I'm almost done with THE WORLD ACCORDING TO GARP (I know, I know, I'm slow), and I bookmarked two excerpts that stood out to me that have to do with writing. Here you go:

Finally Helen said to him, "You want too much. You want unqualified praise, or love-- or something that's unqualified, anyway. You want the world to say, 'I love your writing, I love you,' and that's too much to want. That's really sick, in fact."

"That's what you said," he reminded her. "'I love your writing, I love you.' That's exactly what you said."

"But there can only be one of me," Helen reminded him.

And:

Unlike Alice, Garp was a real writer-- not because he wrote more beautifully than she wrote, but because he knew what every artist show know: as Garp put it, "You only grow by coming to the end of something and by beginning something else." Even if these so-called endings and beginnings are illusions. Garp did not write faster than anyone else, or more; he simply always worked with the idea of completion in mind.

I haven't been updating as much as I should. Oh, malaise! I hope to remedy this.

I finally finished Handcuffs by Bethany Griffin today. The time it took to finish is not due to it being a slow read (it's quite the opposite), but because I was mostly only reading it on the bus to work in the morning. And then I kept leaving it in my desk drawer by accident. Which is probably for the best, since on the bus ride home, I'm too busy trying to avoid aggressive panhandlers, glaring at people who keep their purses/bags in open seats while I have to stand (hello, common courtesy!!), and decompressing from the work day to really read. All I ever want to do is plug into my iPod and block out the outside world as much as possible.

But I really enjoyed Handcuffs (like I knew I would!) and recommend it highly.

Next on the "to read" list is John Irving's The World According To Garp. I'm about seventy pages in. Not sure if I'm liking it as much as A Prayer For Owen Meany, but I really, really like the character of Jenny Fields.

I'm still trucking along on my edits. I haven't received my editorial letter yet, so I'm just doing overall edits, reworking the things my editor and I discussed over the phone. It's going pretty well. There are moments where I'll read a paragraph and think, People are going to actually read this, oh my godddddd, and my chest will get all fluttery and a little panicked. Overall, though, I do feel like I'm re-falling in love with my characters, and the story, which is an awesome feeling. Even more awesome is knowing that someday, other people might fall in love with them, too. Maybe.

So, a few months ago I started taking horseback riding lessons again. When I was a kid, and up until my late teens, I used to ride, own, and compete. Over the years I did a little bit of everything-- hunter jumper, dressage, Western, barrel racing, etc-- though my main love was always eventing (which involves dressage, cross-country, and show jumping), and mostly jumping in general.

Riding again has reminded me exactly why I loved it so much. Here are some clips of me jumping from my lesson tonight:



They're not very high, but I'm still getting back into the swing of things, and even though I'm planning on competing in at least one horse show next month (my first since I was seventeen!), I'm not taking it quite as seriously as I used to. But I'm having a lot of fun with it and definitely getting back into shape.

On the writing front: The second book is with my agent; after I sent it to her, I got some great feedback from one of my betas I'll eventually work in; I got a "ohmygodIcan'tbelievethisisactuallyhappening" thrill out of seeing my name and deal listed in Publisher's Marketplace earlier this week; I'm getting a head start on editing Saving June before I get detailed revisions from my editor, and I'm about fifty pages in. I've already made some significant progress-- so far it's been kind of exciting to look at it again, and reshape and add scenes, though I'm sure soon enough I'll be pulling out my hair.

It has been almost a week now since I got HD television (we bought a new 40" flat-screen set and everything), and I am still in awe. I don't understand how I ever lived life before it. Or before having a DVR and the power to pause live television. It is so definitely worth the cost. My life will never be the same again.

Last night I watched the film In Bruges (thanks, HBO On Demand!).



I won't spoil it for anyone, but seriously, this is a must-see film. One of my favorites of 2008, and man, Colin Farrell completely deserved that Golden Globe. (I've had a soft spot for him ever since I read this story about him helping out a homeless man in Toronto by giving him money for an apartment and a new wardrobe, and his advocacy for his son who has Angelman's syndrome-- plus, he's a really good actor.)

The film is sort of like The Departed... set in Belgium instead of Boston. And more comedic. The screenplay is amazing: the perfect balance between comedic and dramatic, with plenty of action and violence thrown in the mix. (And midgets. I mean, dwarfs.) The characters were well-drawn and even the "bad guy" was an immoral person with his own moral rules that made perfect sense. The writing is clever without being too in love with its own cleverness and very poignant at times. I really loved how everything tied together at the end.

Also, it was a beautiful film to watch on my beautiful new tv. I had no idea Belgium was so pretty.

Anyway, it definitely gets two thumbs up from me. If you get the chance, check it out.

I'm so excited to be able to make the official announcement:

My first novel, SAVING JUNE, has been sold to Harlequin Teen (the new Harlequin young adult imprint debuting later this year) in a two book deal!

I'm still trying to wrap my mind around this news. I'll definitely be keeping you all updated with more information as it comes along.

In the meantime, I'll be the one in the corner doing the Snoopy dance. Yes.

I stumbled on an article the other day that I thought was a good read:

Confident Writers vs. Delusional Writers

It never ceases to blow my mind a little when I come across someone who assumes they will be published, but doesn't seem willing to put in the work necessary, or to understand how the industry works. Because, yes, books are a business, and unfortunately for writers, writing a novel does not entitle you to even have it looked at by beta readers or agents or editors.

The reason I don't personally talk about "the writing process" in great detail is because I feel like some people obsess over this to the point of not getting anything done. (And, well, partly because my own "process" is not particularly complicated, which may be a good thing or a bad thing, I'm not entirely sure.) Of course, for some people it works in their favor and they end up being incredibly productive with crazy word counts. Everyone is different.

Even more than that, I see people angsting so much about the end goal of publication to the detriment of their writing turnout. Talent is important, obviously, but it doesn't mean anything if you can't finish a novel. And talent alone won't get you there. It takes time and work.

So just, you know, write. And it's good to have goals, but don't make assumptions about where it's going to get you. Write and work at it and do your research-- but most importantly, sit your ass down and write.

So, I have now completed the first draft of my second book (technically, I finished it Saturday morning). It clocks in at almost 49,000 words exactly. Now it has been shipped off to that magical place we call Beta Land, so I can figure out where I need to cut, where I need to add, what works and what doesn't. Though some of that I've already figured out for myself.

The good news is, I'm feeling pretty good with what I have, even for a first draft. Maybe it's just the shininess of a new story distracting me from its flaws. I mean, there's something pretty awesome about finishing and looking over it and knowing that all of these words are thoughts and actions and pieces of dialogue that connect together and tell a complete story. It's like brain vomit. Except AWESOME.

Between Friday night, Saturday, and Sunday, I managed to write a little over 7,000 words on the new project. This doesn't include the revisions I did to the first three chapters, either, before sending them off to the agent. On top of that, I also had that moment. You know, the one where the clouds part and the sun shines down and suddenly a plot bunny transitions from an abstract idea into a tangible thing! As in, okay, my story not only has direction, but also sub-plots, a climax, a resolution. I know where it is headed!

This is all very exciting. (For me.)

I'm also contemplating what is best to be listening to while I write. I can't write in total silence, it just doesn't work. Usually I have one of our digital cable music channels playing (adult contemporary for the win!), or else my own playlist on my laptop, but I only play my own music when I'm completely alone, since I can't write when I'm wearing headphones and no one I live with appreciates the brilliance of, say, Emmy the Great (how does one NOT love Emmy the Great?? I cannot fathom this). Sometimes I like to listen to stand up comedy when I'm writing, too, as background noise.

Of course, I don't think playing a certain song or album will make you write any faster, but sometimes maybe it can help. So I'm curious now, if you're a writer, do you listen to music when you write? Or have a TV on as white noise? Or do you prefer silence?

Dear Resident(s),

Congratulations! It seems you've recently acquired the video game Rock Band. Now, I've only played Guitar Hero myself, but I've seen the commercials and it sure looks fun. If what I'm hearing coming from your apartment is any indication, it is a BLAST!

Now, I understand you're excited. So excited you've spent every day of the past week holding fake band practice from five o'clock up until midnight. I applaud your endurance; I mean, you don't even take five minute breaks! And you must be improving, because lately you've taken to "woooooooooooooooooooooooing" and jumping up and down after every song finishes. Again, congratulations on your hard work paying off!

However, I would like to make a humble request. I was hoping you could bring it in you to call your fake band practice quits by ten o'clock, at least on weeknights. I'd even be cool if it was off by ten thirty. Because as lovely as it is to lie in bed and hear your off-key rendition of Alanis Morisette's "You Oughta Know" floating through my window, the dulcet tones of your caterwauling combined with the fake bass that vibrates through the floor and shakes my walls do not make the best of sleeping aids. I know, shocking!

So I do hope you will take my request to heart and comply in the future. Otherwise I might have to call the authorities. And I don't think you can serenade your way out of a noise violation ticket. You know once the cops get involved, it all goes downhill from there-- your fake band will have a fake meltdown and someone will fake overdose and go to fake rehab and you'll end up on Fake VH1's Behind the Fake Music and maybe do a fake reunion state fair tour twenty years later, if you're lucky.

Just something to think about.

Sincerely,
Your Concerned Neighbor

I'm not one to extensively ponder/read about/consider the process of writing. Which is why you will never catch me waxing poetic on the "artistic struggle" or anything along those lines. (If you do, by all means, feel free to slap me into next Tuesday.) It's just not how I roll.

However, I'm gonna go ahead and link to Joss Whedon's Top 10 Writing Tips anyway, because even though they're technically geared toward screenwriting, and even though I have a love/hate relationship with Joss himself (similar to many people who watched Buffy to the bitter end), I think his advice is generally universal and practical. And while his tips seem incredibly simple on the surface, a lot of them seem to be things writers have trouble actually accomplishing-- like finishing a project. Or having something to say.

For me, I just try and keep my head down and truck forward without thinking too hard. Overthinking can discourage me from an idea really easily. And if I need to emo out, I do it in my own head. Or talk to my pets. The cats are apathetic to my emo phases, but my dog is usually up for a sympathy cuddle. This is why I am a dog person.